Jie Hin Shu v. United States Department of Justice

282 F. App'x 879
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedJune 27, 2008
DocketNos. 04-3296-ag (L), 04-3297-ag (Con)
StatusPublished

This text of 282 F. App'x 879 (Jie Hin Shu v. United States Department of Justice) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Jie Hin Shu v. United States Department of Justice, 282 F. App'x 879 (2d Cir. 2008).

Opinion

SUMMARY ORDER

I. Docket No. 04-3296-ag: Jie Hin Shu

Petitioner Jie Hin Shu, a native and citizen of China, seeks review of the June 1, 2004 order of the BIA affirming the February 7, 2003 decision of Immigration Judge (“IJ”) Joanna Miller Bukszpan denying petitioner’s application for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). In re Jie Hin Shu, No. A79 337 133 (B.I.A. June 1, 2004), aff'g No. A79 337 133 (Immig. Ct. N.Y. City Feb. 7, 2003). We assume the parties’ familiarity with the underlying facts and procedural history of the case.

When the BIA summarily affirms the decision of the IJ without issuing an opinion, see 8 C.F.R. § 1003.1(e)(4), we review the IJ’s decision as the final agency determination, see, e.g., Twum v. INS, 411 F.3d 54, 58 (2d Cir.2005); Yu Sheng Zhang v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 362 F.3d 155, 159 (2d Cir.2004)(per curiam). This Court reviews the agency’s factual findings under the substantial evidence standard, treating them as “conclusive unless any reasonable adjudicator would be compelled to conclude to the contrary.” 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(4)(B); see also Corovic v. Mukasey, 519 F.3d 90, 95 (2d Cir.2008). However, we will vacate and remand for new findings if the agency’s reasoning or its fact-finding process was sufficiently flawed. Cao He Lin v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 428 F.3d 391, 406 (2d Cir.2005); Tian-Yong Chen v. INS, 359 F.3d 121, 129 (2d Cir.2004). We review de novo questions of law and the application of law to [881]*881fact. See, e.g., Secaida-Rosales v. INS, 331 F.3d 297, 307 (2d Cir.2003).

As a preliminary matter, we lack jurisdiction to consider Shu’s challenges to the agency’s denial of CAT relief, because he failed to raise that claim before the BIA. See 8 U.S.C. § 1252(d)(1); Karaj v. Gonzales, 462 F.3d 113, 119 (2d Cir.2006). Therefore, we review only Shu’s challenge to the denial of his applications for asylum and withholding of removal on account of his alleged opposition to China’s family planning policy.

A person who has been forced to abort a pregnancy or to undergo involuntary sterilization is deemed to have been persecuted and to have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of his or her political opinion. 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(42); Matter of Y-T-L-, 23 I. & N. Dec. 601, 607 (B.I.A. 2003). We review de novo whether the IJ applied the correct legal standard in finding that Shu did not undergo an involuntary sterilization. Edimo-Doualla v. Gonzales, 464 F.3d 276, 283 (2d Cir.2006).

Here, we find no support for the IJ’s finding that Shu failed to show that he experienced past persecution. Shu testified that in January 1988, five family planning officials came to his home to take his wife away to be sterilized due to the couple’s violation of the family planning policy. Shu testified that because his wife was physically weak at the time, he requested that he be allowed to undergo the sterilization procedure in her place. He was then taken to a local hospital where doctors performed a “very painful” procedure on him that involved cutting the lower region of his body and removing both “sperm ducts.” Shu testified that, despite receiving an anesthetic injection, he almost passed out from the “excruciating” operation and required about one week to recover. It was later discovered that the procedure had not rendered Shu sterile, and his wife had two children after the surgery.

The IJ found that although Shu was a credible witness, he was never actually sterilized and therefore did not suffer past persecution. The IJ stated, “an attempted sterilization is not a sterilization for purposes of the Act particularly since it clearly was unsuccessful.” We are perplexed by such reasoning where nothing in the Immigration and Nationality Act appears to require that in order to qualify as a “person who has been forced ... to undergo involuntary sterilization,” the individual must have been rendered wholly sterile or infertile. 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(42). To the contrary, we recently described the refugee definition as including “an individual who has physically undergone an involuntary medical procedure intended to result in infertility.” Shi Liang Lin v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 494 F.3d 296, 305 (2d Cir.2007) (emphasis added). There is no dispute that the procedure performed on Shu was an attempt to render him infertile. In fact, the IJ explicitly labeled the incident an “attempted sterilization.” Under such circumstances, we find no support for her conclusion that Shu did not suffer persecution.1

The agency’s erroneous past persecution analysis tainted the balance of its findings. Indeed, had Shu demonstrated [882]*882past persecution, it would have been the government’s burden to establish that, under all the circumstances, it would be reasonable for him to relocate within China, 8 C.F.R. § 1208.18(b)(3), or that a fundamental change in circumstances had occurred, Id. § 1208.13(b)(l)(i)(A). Even if it met that burden, Shu might still be eligible for humanitarian asylum based on the severity of his persecution. See Jalloh v. Gonzales, 498 F.3d 148, 151 (2d Cir.2007) (per curiam); Matter of S-A-K- & H-A-H- 24 I. & N. Dec. 464 (B.I.A.2008).

In light of the flaws we have identified in the agency’s decision, we remand each of Shu’s claims for relief to the agency. See Gonzales v. Thomas, 547 U.S. 183, 186, 126 S.Ct. 1613, 164 L.Ed.2d 358 (2006) (per curiam) (finding that when the agency’s analysis is lacking, “the proper course, except in rare circumstances, is to remand to the agency for additional investigation or explanation” (internal quotation marks omitted)).

II. Docket No. 04-3297-ag: Hua Zhen Shu

We previously dismissed Hua Zhen Shu’s petition for review and issued a mandate in her case.

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Gonzales v. Thomas
547 U.S. 183 (Supreme Court, 2006)
Bonnie Sargent v. Columbia Forest Products, Inc.
75 F.3d 86 (Second Circuit, 1996)
Yves Gautier Edimo-Doualla v. Alberto R. Gonzales, 1
464 F.3d 276 (Second Circuit, 2006)
Corovic v. Mukasey
519 F.3d 90 (Second Circuit, 2008)
Zheng v. Gonzales
497 F.3d 201 (Second Circuit, 2007)
Jalloh v. Gonzales
498 F.3d 148 (Second Circuit, 2007)
Xiu Fen Xia v. Mukasey
510 F.3d 162 (Second Circuit, 2007)
Shi Liang Lin v. United States Department of Justice
494 F.3d 296 (Second Circuit, 2007)
S-A-K- and H-A-H
24 I. & N. Dec. 464 (Board of Immigration Appeals, 2008)
Y-T-L
23 I. & N. Dec. 601 (Board of Immigration Appeals, 2003)

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